Walking in the Light of the Lord – Isaiah 2:1-5

The prophet Isaiah lived in some of the most turbulent times of his nation. During his lifetime, the exile of the people took place and everything they ever believed about their special place as the chosen people of God was called into question. There was a sense that all was lost, and this meant the end of the nation. But Isaiah comes and tells the people that there is a future but not the future they imagined. It would be a future in which all the nations of the earth would come to God.  This is one of the first times that it is even suggested that the God they knew would not be just the God of Israel but that he would be the God of the whole world.  And while the history of the people of Israel was one of God’s presence with them as they moved from a remote region to a time of slavery and then to a time of nationhood, it now appears that this journey of God with the people was meant to prepare them to be – as they are called by the prophet – a light to the nations.  The people of Israel had been chosen not because they were superior to all other nations but to be the servants of the most high God and they would eventually be called upon to lead the nations to this God.

The vision that Isaiah presents to the people of Israel is that of the nations of the world coming to the realization that all their attempts to bring peace and order to their peoples have failed. They see only one path now and that is the God of Jacob, the One worshipped by the people known as Israel.  They make the decision to go up to the place where God is known to dwell, the mount of Zion that they may be taught the ways of this God and learn to walk in His paths.  Not only will they be willing to be taught by God and seek to walk in His paths, but they will also allow this God to pronounce judgments between their nations and decide contentious issues. They will recognize that the justice given by this God will be a justice that none can contest for it will be fair and equitable and will lead to peace among the nations. And so there will not be a need for weapons of destruction. Swords and spears will be turned from the taking of life to implements designed to foster and sustain life.

This is the future Isaiah envisions. And it is to this vision that he encourages them to come and walk in the light of the Lord, a vision of a future that always was Israel’s and that they can still have a place in.

Walking in the light of the Lord is a wonderful way of inviting people to come to a place not of condemnation and hopelessness but to a place of reconciliation and hope. Walking in the light of the Lord is about allowing ourselves to be taught the ways of God in order to live our lives in such a way as to walk in His paths. If you have ever walked in a forest, you know very well how important it is to follow a clearly marked path, especially when darkness begins to descend. To have one who goes before you with a light and points the way to the path that leads you home safe is a great and wonderful thing. In a similar yet eternal way, that is what walking in the light of the Lord does for us. It is the light that goes before us illuminating the darkness that is the future and shedding light on the path that we are to follow.

It is for each of us to decide the future we want to be a part of and to decide the path we want to take in life. If that path be to God in Christ, then let us follow it faithfully!

This day as we approach the table of the Lord, let us remember that this table was prepared for all who seek to follow the path of God and seek to walk in His ways. Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!